BRIGADE ORDERS.

BY BRIGADIER-GENERAL TREVOR TERNAN, C.M.G., D.S.O.,

COMMANDING 102^nd (TYNESIDE SCOTTISH) BRIGADE.

HEADQUARTERS, ALNWICK,

22^nd July, 1915.

536 – Electric Light and Pumping Plant – Personnel –

            The Officer-in-Charge, Electric Light and Pumping Plant, will take the necessary steps to relieve as early as possible the men at present employed under him, by “Home Service” men from the Detachment in Newcastle.  The men thus relieved will return to duty with their units.  The “Home Service” men referred to will rejoin the Depot Company of their former Battalion.

537– Extracts from Northern Command Orders –

COURSES – MACHINE GUN –

Command Order No. 825, of 19^th May last, is re-published for the information of newly-formed Units, and those who have recently arrived in the Command.

The following General Machine Gun Course will, in future, be substituted for all machine gun courses previously authorised.

2. The course will be fired by Officers, Non-commissioned Officers and men of service machine gun sections belonging to the following Units:-

New Armies.

3. Reserve machine gun sections will not fire the course, but detachments will be thoroughly instructed in mechanism drill, etc.

4. No man who has already fired a complete course will carry out the General Machine Gun Course, and men who have commenced a course previously approved will complete it.

5. The following table shows the number of fully-trained machine gunners who will fire the course, and must be maintained in Regiments or Battalions:-

                        Unit.                Officers.  Sergeants.  Corporals.  Privates.

New Armies (Infantry Battalion):-       

Service Section                                      1               2                      1              24

Reserve Section (a)                               1               2                      1              24

• See paragraph 3.

In draft producing Units the personnel of machine gunners will always be maintained, and as men are drafted others must at once take their place, who will fire the course as soon as they are considered fit to do so.

Commanding Officers must have a certain number of partly-trained men always in readiness to take the places of machine gunners who are drafted out of the section.

6. AMMUNITION. – 300 rounds per Officer, Non-commissioned Officer, and man of service gun sections.

New Armies                                       Mark VII.

Ammunition allotted to machine gun sections is not to be expended for rifle firing.

7. Machine gunners of New Army Battalions other than 2^nd Reserve Battalions will not commence the course until authority is given to do so.

GENERAL MACHINE GUN COURSE

Part I.                                      Part II.

Rounds Allotted   Practice 1.- Grouping                        10       “       2.- Single shot, traversing   10       “       3.- Application                     20       “       4.-  Vertical, searching        20       “       5.-  (Omitted) Additional Practice. – Swing traverse    30         Repetition                                 20   110

(Range 400 yards for all practices except Practice 14) Time     Rounds Seconds.   allotted Practice 7.- Ranging               –              20       “       8.- (Omitted)       “       *9.-  Application        20            30       “       *10.-  Traversing       50            60       “       11.-  (Omitted)       “       12.-  (Omitted)       “       13.-  Observation     –               20       “       14.- Fire at successive positions (range 600 yds. to 200 yds.)                  40   Total                                                     170 Part I                                                     110 Part II                                                    170 Surplus for repetition of indifferent shots, to be pooled and used at the discretion of the Commanding Officer                               20   Grand Total                                            300

* Classification Practices.

NOTES

Part I.

1. Additional Practice. – For trench warfare, and against dense targets at close range, the “Swinging Traverse” has been found necessary.  It in no way replaces the method of traversing by automatic tapping, which should still be considered the normal method.  The swinging traverse is taught by teaching a man to traverse a machine gun instructional target evenly and smoothly in about 6 seconds.

——————————–

Part II.

• Practice 10. – It will be necessary to shorten the target, as 40 rounds less are allowed for in this practice.  This will be done by using two 10-feet screens instead of three.  Spaces will be 20 inches.
• Practice 13. – (a) If a field firing range is not available.  Practice II will be substituted for this practice.

(b). –Observation should be taken by three parties, left, right, and centre, who should change round after each firer.  Section Officers should ascertain that each man has observed from each position.

• Practice 14. – 10 rounds will be fired at each of the four distances laid down in Musketry Regulations.  These rounds will be “spaced out” before commencing the practice, and the firer will proceed to the next range on completing his 10 rounds, whether he has secured a hit or not.

Classification.

• Machine gunners will be classified upon the results which they obtain in Practices 9 and 10, General Machine Gun Course, as follows:-

To be classified as a “1^st Class Gunner”             50 points.

To be classified as a “Qualified Gunner”             25     “

            Points will be allotted in the classification practices on the same basis of scoring as laid down in paragraph 647, Musketry Regulations, Part I., 1909, (reprint) 1914.

Authority, War Office letter Number 9/General Number/4976 (M.T. 2), dated 14^th May, 1915.

C.R.N.C. No. 58693 (G.M.).  Northern Command Order No.1316.

“LONDON GAZETTE” –

The following extracts from the Third Supplement to the “London Gazette” of Friday, the 16^th July, 1915, are published for information:-

The Northumberland Fusiliers –

22^nd Battalion (3^rd Tyneside Scottish). – Temporary Second Lieutenant Wilfred G.C. Lambert, from 15th (Reserve) Battalion, to be temporary Second Lieutenant.   Dated 5^th July, 1915.

Alexandra, Princess of Wales’ Own (Yorkshire Regiment)–

12^th Battalion (Tees-side Pioneers). – Arthur William Alcock to be temporary Lieutenant.  Dated 5^th July, 1915.

Northern Command Order No.1319.

DUMMY HAND GRENADES –

            An issue of 20 Dummy Mills Hand Grenades per Infantry Unit will shortly be made.  Indents should be submitted at once to Chief Ordnance Officer, York, and issues will be made in the following order of precedence.  All drafts finding Units Infantry of the 4^th New Army, of the Territorial Force Divisions, and unallotted Infantry Units.

C.R.N.C. 72755 (O.S.).  Northern Command Order No. 1327.

538– Command Orders – Attention called to –

            The attention of Officers Commanding Units is called to Northern Command Orders 1321, 1323, 1324, 1325, and 1326 of 21^st July, 1915, and to Notice of same date.

539 – Disinfectants – N.C.I. Powder Vermijelli –

            With reference to Northern Command Order No.1326 of 21^st July, 1915, Officers Commanding Units will take necessary action.

T.L.B. SOUTRY, Captain,

Brigade-Major, 102^nd (Tyneside Scottish) Brigade.